


Near and Dear

by basketcase1880



Category: Outlander (TV)
Genre: F/M, Nursing Student Claire, Outlander Secret Santa 2018, University AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-24 19:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22123552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basketcase1880/pseuds/basketcase1880
Summary: Claire is friends with Jenny at university, unfortunately, Claire doesn’t have any family to spend Christmas with, so Jenny invites Claire to spend Christmas with her family. Enter one James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser (and a little boy with curls to rival her own) and Claire suddenly feels her life has been lacking a LOT of things.
Relationships: Brian Fraser/Ellen MacKenzie Fraser, Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser, Jenny Fraser/Ian Murray
Comments: 15
Kudos: 153





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this has already been posted on my blog on tumblr. I fully intended to post it on here earlier than this, but real life got in the way and it sucked. This was my entry for the Outlander Secret Santa in 2018 over on tumblr and it took me just shy of a year to complete.  
> To date, this is my only Outlander work, however, I don't tend to stick in one fandom as you may see by my other works.  
> Also, I'm from Scotland, so the Scots spelling is how I would spell it, it may not be the same as other writers, but it's my way of spelling it.

Having no family, Claire found it easy to leave her life in Oxford behind and move to Glasgow to begin her life over as a nursing student. At twenty-five she would be considered a “mature” student, but she had been caring for her uncle until his death after she left high school. She moved into the university’s halls of residence and couldn’t wait to start her course. Luckily for her, two of her fellow flatmates were also studying nursing, although one, Mary Hawkins, was studying child nursing and the other, Geilis Duncan, was studying mental health nursing, while Claire was specialising in learning disabilities. But by the looks of their timetables, they didn’t share any classes.

During Fresher’s Week, Claire signed up for the university’s choir and familiarised herself with the campus, she had no plans to join any other social groups as she wanted to focus solely on her studies, she had heard that the nursing course could be quite full on. The choir held a “come and try” session on the Wednesday of Fresher’s Week, so she went along to it. Here she made another friend, Janet “Call me Jenny” Fraser. Jenny was another “mature” student studying Social Sciences with an aim of going on to be a teacher and stayed in a flat on Sauchiehall Street that belonged to her parents. She was originally from a small village in the Scottish Highlands and was one of four.

“There’s four of us in total,” Jenny had told Claire over coffee after choir. “Willie’s the oldest, then there’s me, Jamie’s next and then there’s Rabbie. What about you?”

“There’s only me,” Claire explained solemnly. “My parents died when I was young, and I’ve spent the last few years caring for my uncle who had cancer.”

“Och, weel, I’ve got too many men in my life,” Jenny said with a comforting smile. “I’ve got a space in my life for a sister.”

Claire gave Jenny a watery smile, she was grateful for this wonderful woman who had come into her life and she was sure she would be lost without her, despite only knowing her a few hours.

* * *

Over the twelve weeks of their first trimester at university, Claire and Jenny became almost inseparable. Yes, they were studying two completely different courses, but they would help each other study and proofread each other’s work to make sure it made sense, especially when they were written in the wee small hours fuelled by coffee and sugar.

“What are yer plans for Christmas?” Jenny had asked Claire one Wednesday as they waited on their choirmaster to arrive.

“I was just going to hang about the dorms,” Claire said. “Finish essays and study some anatomy and physiology.”

“Nonsense!” Jenny exclaimed. “Yer coming wi’ me tae Beauly. I’ve already spoke to me mam and da about it and they’re lookin’ forward tae meetin’ ye.”

“Are you sure I’m not imposing on your family?” Claire asked. “I mean, Christmas is all about family…”

“An’ yer my sister,” Jenny jumped in with. “Besides, my mam and da have somehow acquired another son. An orphan lad they met in Paris called Claudel, although Jamie calls ‘im Fergus because ‘no that’s no a name ye’d gie a boy growing up in the Scottish Highlands’ apparently.”

“If you’re sure…” Claire said hesitantly.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Jenny said as she hugged Claire. “An’ I got word today, Ian’s getting leave this Christmas, so ye’ll get to meet him too, although I’ve still to tell mam about that.”


	2. Chapter 2

The week before class finished, Claire decided she had to buy Christmas presents for her generous hosts, after all, she had already bought Jenny something when she originally planned on spending Christmas in the dorm. Jenny had told her some information about her parents and brothers, as well as Ian, her boyfriend who was in the army. This enabled her to get the elder Frasers a matching necklace and cufflinks set, Willie was a chef, so she bought him a nice case to carry his knives in, Rabbie was interested in trains so she got him a model train kit to make, as Fergus was only three, Claire decided to get him a teddy, and for Ian she bought some thermal socks. The trouble, however, was Jamie.

He was four years younger than Claire and Jenny and all Jenny had told Claire about her “annoying” little brother was he liked to read, played a bit of rugby, and worked in a whiskey distillery. That bit of information about Jamie made Claire change her mind about getting him a bottle of whiskey, there was no point in buying whiskey for a man who made the stuff. Walking past one of those “touristy” type shops that sold all things tartan and Scottish, Claire decided to venture in and see if there was something in there that would suit the young man.

Half an hour later, Claire exited the shop with a satisfied smile on her face. Jamie sounded like a proud Scotsman, so she decided to get him something she hoped he would like.

* * *

Both Claire and Jenny’s final class of the trimester was on the Tuesday, and they had their Christmas concert with the choir on the Wednesday, so Jenny decided they would drive up to Beauly on the Thursday.

“When you said I was invited to spend Christmas with your family I thought you meant the couple of days surrounding the day,” Claire said to Jenny as she was packing her suitcase. “Not the whole holiday.”  
  
“Ye cannae visit the highlands without experiencing a proper Hogmanay,” Jenny said to her friend. “Besides, it was me mam who told me we were to come up as soon as we could. An’ you need to be back down here two days after the new year for yer placement.”

Claire nodded, she had forgotten her first nursing placement was starting so close to the 1st of January. She’d work out how to get back to Glasgow for the 7th January without tearing Jenny away from her family before she needed to be.

“What’s all this?” Jenny asked as she saw the small bundle of wrapped presents in the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers.

“Presents,” Claire said simply. “From what you’ve told me about your mum, she’ll have bought me something. Which is completely unnecessary, if you ask me, her hospitality is enough. So, I felt I should buy a present for everyone.”

“Och, ye didnae have to do that,” Jenny said as she gave Claire’s shoulder a playful slap. “I’ve counted eight presents there. Who did ye all buy for?”

“Your mum and dad,” Claire began. “Willie, Jamie, Rabbie, Fergus and Ian. Although, Jamie was a nightmare to buy for since you haven’t told me much about him. And I made sure to get Fergus and Ian a small token each since they’ll be there. Ian will be there, won’t he?”

“I’ve told me mam, if that’s what ye mean?” Jenny said with a smile. “Besides, Jamie would have invited him. The two of them are as thick as thieves. I swear, Jamie would have followed Ian into the army if he hadn’t busted his hand as a teenager playing rugby. An’ I see you’ve taken the same route as Jamie; callin’ Claudel Fergus. Mam an’ da are still callin’ ‘im Claudel, but Jamie has got young Rabbie callin’ him Fergus too. Said he didnae want his classmates to laugh at ‘im for havin’ a wee brother wi’ such a pansy name.”

“I can’t wait to meet them all,” Claire smiled. “It’ll be good to be surrounded by people at Christmas.”

“Tis the way it’s meant to be,” Jenny smiled back. “Surrounded by yer near and dear ones.”

* * *

Thursday dawned, and Jenny and Claire met outside the halls of residence where they loaded Claire’s bags into the car.

“I’ve Googled our journey,” Claire said. “It’s going to be about 4 hours. We should do two hours each.”

“Don’t be silly,” Jenny dismissed. “I’m fine driving the whole way. I do it when I go home to visit any other time.”

“Nope,” Claire said smiling at her travel companion. “You have a travel partner who holds a full driver’s license and as such should help out with the driving. Pull into a service station about halfway there and I’ll drive.”

“If ye insist,” Jenny smiled. “Are ye just doing this because I told you ‘driver picks the music’?”

“No, no,” Claire said as she settled into the front passenger seat. “We’ve got a similar taste in music, so I don’t mind listening to whatever you chose.”

“Right, well let’s get on the road,” Jenny said as she selected a playlist on her phone and Take That began singing. “I cannae wait for ye tae meet everyone.”


	3. Chapter 3

Four hours later, and Claire pulled the car to a stop in front of a large family farmhouse on the outskirts of the village of Beauly. It looked just like Jenny described it, only it was covered in Christmas lights too.

“My da loves Christmas,” Jenny explained. “Prefers New Year’s, mind ye. But between him and Murtagh, the house is always decked out like this.”

“Murtagh?” Claire questioned as Jenny hadn’t mentioned him before.

“Da’s cousin, Jamie’s Godfather.”

Claire nodded in acknowledgement, this family just seemed to get bigger and bigger, so she hoped she wouldn’t get everyone mixed up. “Is there anymore family members who’ll appear out of the woodwork this festive period?”

“Probably my uncles Colum and Dougal,” Jenny replied as they got out the car. “They’re mam’s big brothers. My aunt Jocasta lives in America, so I doubt she’ll be here. But, ye never know…”

“Jenny!” a young boy exclaimed as he came running out of the house. “I’ve missed ye. An’ ye must be Claire. Mam’s told us we’ve all to be on our best behaviour this holiday.”

“Claire, this terror is young Rabbie,” Jenny introduced. “He doesnae know when to shut his mouth. An’ why, I must ask, are ye no at school?”

“Dentist,” was Rabbie’s simple reply with a shrug of his shoulders.

“It’s nice to meet you, Rabbie,” Claire smiled, and the young boy surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist. “Jenny’s told me all about you.”

“It’s good to have another sister,” Rabbie said in return as he let go of Claire. “Sisters are much better than brothers.”

“Rabbie!” a tall elegant woman with long red hair called from the doorway into the house. “Will ye let the lassies in wi’ their bags before ye begin pesterin’ them. I’m sae sorry about ‘im. Ye must be Claire? I’m Ellen Fraser, Jenny’s mam.”

“Thank you for your invite Mrs Fraser,” Claire smiled as she followed the two ladies into the house. “I have to say it’s a much more appealing Christmas than I originally planned.”

“It’s Ellen tae ye, nane o’ this Mrs Fraser,” Ellen dismissed. “The same goes wi’ Brian. Ye can call ‘im Brian, no Mr Fraser. Noo, I’ll let ye twa get settled in, dinner will be served at 5pm, so if ye want to take a nap or a wee walk about the village, feel free to do so.”

Both girls gave Ellen a brief hug and headed on up to Jenny’s room where a fold-out bed had been set up for Claire. Jenny and Claire decided to take the time to unpack and talk about their Christmas celebrations growing up.

“… So even though Jamie and Willie have moved out, they still come home for Christmas?” Claire asked.

“Oh aye, I think Willie is even bringing someone this year,” Jenny explained. “They even stay over in their old rooms. Although they are guest rooms, mam keeps them as Jamie and Willie’s rooms.”

“That explains why we’re sharing then?” Claire questioned. “All other rooms are occupied?”

“They might be, we’ve got several rooms kept for guests,” Jenny explained. “But I jist thought wi’ this bein’ yer first time visitin’, ye might prefer to be in a room wi’ me?”

“Thank you so much, Jenny,” Claire said with a grateful smile. “I actually prefer this set-up. I won’t feel so self-conscious sharing a room with you. I would probably be scared to touch anything were I in a room on my own.”

“There’s nae need tae be scared,” Jenny reassured the girl who she saw more and more of a sister. “But that’s almost five, so we should be heading downstairs. Jist tae warn ye, should my two brothers be here, the pair o’ them are giants. But they willnae hurt a fly, so ye’ve nothin’ tae worry about.”

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair, neither Jamie nor Willie were in attendance, but Claire was absolutely taken by Fergus’ big brown eyes and she loved chatting with him. He was still learning his English, however, Claire was fluent in French having spent time there in her youth, so the pair chatted away in French.

“I have tae thank ye, Claire,” Brian Fraser said over dinner. “Ye and young Jamie are the only two who have any idea what the lad is sayin’ maist o’ the time. Nane o’ us can speak French all that weel, so we’ve been muddlin’ through things wi’ ‘im when Jamie isn’t here.”

“If you wish, I could spend some time with Fergus while I’m here,” Claire offered. “Helping him with his English. I taught some English while I was in France some years ago.”

“I see yer takin’ the same route as Jamie too,” Ellen smiled as she started to sort a plate of food to put back in the oven. “Callin’ the lad Fergus.”

“It seems more appropriate,” Claire said absentmindedly as she handed a toy to the young boy. “When I was in Continental Europe, most people called me Clara rather than Claire. So, I am a firm believer in using whatever name is more fitting for your environment.”

“Weel, thank ye for yer offer, Claire,” Brian replied, before his wife could say another word. “I know Jamie’s been tryin’ his best, but he still has work to attend for another week.”

Just then, as if the mentioning his name summoned him, Jamie Fraser walked into the kitchen and placed a kiss to Ellen’s cheek. “Sorry ‘m late, mam, there was a muck up wi’ an order an’ I offered to sort it out.”

“That’s fine Jamie,” Ellen reassured. “I’ve just put a plate into the oven to keep warm for you.”

“Thanks mam,” Jamie said as he retrieved his plate from the oven. He then made his way back to the dining room table and took his usual place next to Fergus. That’s when his eyes fell on Claire, who was helping Fergus cut up his dinner, and a big smile came to his face. “Ye must be Jenny’s friend from school? I’m her wee brother, Jamie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jamie,” Claire smiled in return. “I’m Claire.”

“Claire,” Jamie whispered as his smile grew and he ducked his head to avoid his family’s gazes. “Sorcha.”

* * *

After dinner, Fergus immediately attached himself to Claire’s side.

“It seems ye’ve got a shadow, Claire,” Brian joked. “Come awa’, Fergus, leave the lassie alone.”

“I don’t mind, Brian,” Claire reassured as she lifted Fergus to rest on her hip. “I can work with him on his English.”

“Are ye’ sure ye don’ mind, lass?” Brian asked, and Claire smiled her reassurance. “Right, Jamie, ye can help yer mam wi’ the dinner dishes.”

Jamie nodded in agreement, but if his gaze lingered just a few minutes too long on Claire as she carried Fergus to the sitting room, he would deny it.

* * *

Later that night, once everyone else was in bed, Brian and Jamie were sitting in the sitting room listening to the news.

“What d’ye think?” Brian suddenly piped up. Jamie looked at his father in confusion and Brian elaborated. “Of Claire, saw ye starin’ efter her after dinner earlier.”

“She’s a nice lassie,” Jamie replied. “But I wisnae starin’ efter her. I was jis’ thinkin’ about how this is my first Christmas wi’ Fergus.”

“Claudel,” Brian corrected. “His mother named ‘im Claudel. Ye need tae stop confusin’ the lad.”

“He’s stayin wi’ us,” Jamie rebutted. “His mam didnae want ‘im, so I’ve decided that he should be called Fergus. Make him more comfortable in ‘is new life here. He’s gone through so much for such a young bairn.”

“Aye, he’s really settlin’ in here, son,” Brian smiled as he thought of the young boy asleep upstairs. “Ye ken, he’s been catchin’ on tae some Gàidhlig. Been callin’ yer mam an’ me seanag and sean.”

“Granny and Grampa?” Jamie questioned. “Aye, I suppose it’s appropriate wi’ yer age an’ all. Right, dad, I’m headin’ up to bed. Some of us still have work in the morning.”

“Night, Jamie,” Brian called after him.

Just as Jamie got to the top of the stairs, he bumped into Claire as she was heading back towards Jenny’s room. “I’m sorry,” she apologised. “It’s just I heard Fergus crying and went in to settle him back to sleep.”

“Dinnae fash yersel’,” Jamie reassured Claire with a warm smile. “Everyone tends to take on a parentin’ role wi’ the lad.”

“It’s those eyes,” Claire smiled. “They just pull you in and you’ll do anything for him. Anyway, I’m going to head to bed, not had much sleep with essay deadlines and everything. Goodnight, Jamie.”

“Aye, the lad has everyone wrapped roun’ his wee finger,” Jamie agreed with a small smile. “Weel, I’ll let ye head tae bed the noo, an’ I’ll see ye at some point tomorrow. G’night, Sassenach.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, in this chapter I have Fergus speaking a mix of French and English, please ignore if the sentences make no sense whatsoever. I figured out what words I wanted him to speak in French and worked the French word into the English sentence where it would usually go. Turns out Google Translate is my friend when it comes to French and the Gaelic (which also makes an appearance here and there throughout this story).

The days that followed the young women arriving at the farmhouse, Lallybroch Farm to give it its name, Jenny spent her time with Ian as they hadn’t seen each other since the summer, and Claire seemed to be inseparable from Fergus. Ellen had explained that although he was aged to start nursery school, they were holding off until the January intake in the hopes that his English would improve.

Claire smiled at Ellen in understanding, having travelled the world with her uncle, she could sympathise with Fergus over the language barrier and so she promised to help Fergus the best she could. “It can’t be easy trying to help him learn English when the only fluent French speaker in the house has a full-time job.”  
  


“Aye, yer right there, Claire,” Ellen agreed as she put a plate of sandwiches down on the kitchen table. “But we try our best wi’ ‘im and that’s got to make a difference?”

“Of course it does,” Claire reassured the elder woman. “I used to travel a lot with my uncle, so I know the problems with language at times. I actually learned French as it was a common language around most of the dig sites. He was an archaeologist.”

“Weel, I’m very thankful for yer help wi’ the lad,” Ellen smiled as she ruffled Fergus’ hair. “He’s woven his way into my heart and made a home in it.”

“Seanag?” Fergus asked in a heavy accent after he finished his sandwich. “I go jouer?”

Ellen was about to answer Fergus’ question, but she turned to Claire for some clarity on his question.

“Can he go and play?” Claire translated, realising she may need to teach Ellen some of the simpler words in French that Fergus may use.

“O’ course ye can, laddie,” Ellen replied, and off Fergus went to find some toys to play with.

“What was that first word Fergus said?” Claire asked once she and Ellen were alone. “Shinag?”

“Seanag,” Ellen repeated with a smile. “It’s Gàidhlig for granny. He calls Brian sean, which means grampa. We’re no ‘is parents, but we’re old enough to be ‘is grandparents, so we felt it was only natural that we take on the title as well as the role.”

“Well, I think it’s sweet,” Claire replied. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go and see if I can turn a certain someone’s playtime into a bit of an English lesson.”

“Away wi’ ye,” Ellen smiled, and Claire headed off to find Fergus and begin teaching him some English.”

* * *

Claire enjoyed working with Fergus on his English during the day. He was such a sweet boy, but by dinner times she was exhausted. He was a right handful, just as you would expect a three-year-old boy to be. So, Jenny’s offer to do the bedtime routine was duly accepted.

While Jenny was battling giant squids and saving the pirates from Davy Jones, Claire would spend time with Rabbie helping him with some of his science homework before he went to bed. After that she would curl up with a book in one of the oversized armchairs in the Fraser’s sitting room. Most nights she would be joined by Brian and Ellen who would either knit or read whatever they wanted to do that night.

That changed the week before Christmas.

Ellen and Brian were working on getting the house ready for Willie’s arrival. Apparently, he was bringing home a girlfriend this Christmas too, so Ellen wanted to make sure his room was suitably equipped for two guests rather than the one she originally planned on.

This left Claire alone to read, however, she did not stay alone for long. Soon, Jamie joined her, and she gave him a small smile. This would be their first time alone since the encounter in the hallway her first night at Lallybroch.

“How’s wee Fergus doin’, Sassenach?” Jamie asked as he settled down in the other armchair. “I hear ye’ve been givin ‘im English lessons during the day.”

“Quite well,” Claire answered as she put her book down. “He’s quite the quick study.”

“Aye, that’ll be… aye,” Jamie muttered with a smile, but left it at that. “So, how’s the highland life treatin’ ye?”  
  


“I haven’t been out,” Claire replied with a small smile. “Jenny’s been busy with Ian and I’ve been helping Fergus.”

“Ye mean ye’ve been cooped up in here fer almost a week?” Jamie asked incredulously.

“I was at church with the family on Sunday,” Claire assured the scandalised young man. “I’ve just been busy, and I didn’t want to risk Fergus catching a cold if I took him out with me.”

“Nonsense,” Jamie admonished. “I’m sure Willie or Jenny will take the lad on Saturday, I’m goin’ to take you out a hike. Show ye some of the sights. Ye cannae visit the Highlands an’ no see the Highlands?”

“If you’re sure…” Claire said hesitatingly.

“O’ course I insist,” Jamie grinned widely. “Noo I’m going to rescue Janet from that wee terror ye’ve been helpin’ wi’ an’ put ‘im tae bed.”

Claire smiled and went back to her book as Jamie left the sitting room.

“Oh, and thank ye, by the way,” Jamie said as he stuck his head back around the door. “His English has really improved this past week. I’m impressed.”

Claire smiled her gratitude at Jamie’s thanks. She loved working with Fergus and the intensive lessons she had been working into his daily play and routine were working miracles with his English.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday dawned, and Claire was up at 6am. She hadn’t brought much in the way of hiking, but fortunately, Claire and Jenny were the same size shoe. So, Claire dressed in warm jeans, a long-sleeved shirt topped with a t-shirt, and her nursing society hoodie. She would collect her outerwear at the door as well as Jenny’s boots.

Ellen was already up when Claire made her way downstairs, and she had bacon and eggs cooking away on the stove as well as coffee brewing away.

“Mornin’ Claire,” Ellen smiled. “I didnae expect ye up this early. An’ yer dressed rather warmly fer the house.”

“Mornin’ Ellen,” Claire greeted in return as she sat at the kitchen table. “Jamie said he would show me some of the area as thanks for helping Fergus with his English.”

“Well, they won’t be long,” Ellen explained as she started plating up the food. “Jamie and Willie are just helpin’ Brian feed the horses. An’ can I jus’ say how grateful Brian and I are for the work yer doin’ wae Fergus.”

“It’s no problem,” Claire reassured. “He’s such a sweet boy. I see you’ve given in and started calling him ‘Fergus’ too.”

“Aye, ye cannae be confusin’ the lad,” Ellen smiled as he poured two mugs of coffee and put them on the table. “Jus’ need tae work on Brian.”

“Work on Brian wae what?” the man in question asked as he entered the kitchen through the back door followed by his two giant sons. “If yer talkin about the lad’s name, I’m still callin’ ‘im Claudel. Tha’s the name on ‘is birth certificate, so tha’s the name I’m callin’ ‘im.”

Jamie mumbled something under his breath that Claire didn’t fully catch, it may actually have been in Gàidhlig. So, Claire made a mental note to ask him about it later when they were alone. Whatever it had been made Brian uneasy and he headed out of the kitchen, followed by Ellen.

“Good mornin’ Claire,” Willie Fraser greeted as he sat down at the table next to her. “Didnae expect tae see ye up at this ungodly hour. Only madmen an’ farmers are up at this hour.”

“Aye an’ yer a bloody madman,” Jamie jumped in with as he sat down in Ellen’s vacant seat. “If ye must know, bràthair, I’m takin’ Claire tae see some o’ the countryside. She’s been cooped up here for more than a week helpin’ young Fergus wi’ ‘is English. He’s come on leaps an’ bounds tae.”

“Fancy some company then?” Willie asked with a cheeky grin.

“I don’t think Louise would be too happy with that,” Claire said, having sensed Jamie was about to say something snarkier than that. “Besides, you already promised Fergus you would let him bake something with you today. May I suggest cupcakes that he can decorate for everyone?”

“Aye, yer right there, Claire,” Willie agreed, and Claire could see Jamie visibly relax out the corner of her eye. “An’ cupcakes it is. Louise will love to help with that. She could actually help with his English since she’s French.”

“Tha’ will be great, Willie,” Jamie said thankfully. “Jus’ make sure the lad speaks more in English than French, though. Dinnae want Claire’s hard work goin’ tae waste.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Willie joked as he saluted Jamie. “Noo, let’s eat. Don’ want mam’s good work goin’ tae waste, do we?”

The trio then got down to eating breakfast in peaceful silence before Willie headed back to his room for a shower to wash the stink of the horses off him for the day.

“So, what’s the plan for today, oh Captain?” Claire asked.

“Thought we’d go fer a walk along the river,” Jamie began. “An’ see what the weather is like from there. Might take ye tae visit the ruins.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Claire agreed and made to go collect the boots and her hat and coat.

* * *

Claire enjoyed the solace she felt walking along the river with Jamie, every now and then one of them would release a titbit about their life. Claire began with how she grew up all over the world and never really had a feeling of home and Jamie reciprocated with some tales of his childhood with Jenny. Claire then went on to talk about her Uncle Lamb and how she had nursed him at the end of his life, which inspired her to go into nursing.

“In fact, it was one time I was in Malawi and worked with some of the children with learning disabilities that made me think of that field of nursing,” Claire explained. “It was quite an eye-opening experience. What made you go into the whiskey trade and not the horse trade with your dad?”

“The horses are fer Rabbie,” Jamie said matter of factly. “Willie was good wi’ the cookin’ growin’ up, I had a heid fer trade, an’ Rabbie has a knack wi’ the horses. I do tae, bu’ I’ll let the lad have the business an’ I’ll help ‘im if ‘e needs it. Besides, I lef’ school at sixteen, an’ da sent me tae France tae work fer our cousin Jared.”

“France, eh?” Claire asked intrigued and it looked like Jamie was dreading her next sentence. “It seems we have something in common. How long were you there?”

“Three year,” Jamie explained. “Made sure I wis nice an’ legal afore I cam’ back hame to work in the trade. Dinnae want the competition complain tha’ Glen Ord had some underage kid workin fer them.”

“You could have worked in the visitor centre.”

“Nah, I’m no one fer people much. I prefer workin’ wi’ the rich smellin’ casks an’ the whiskey.”

“So you can steal a dram or two?”

“Nah, I don’ drink on the job. Murtagh would kill me.”

“Murtagh? He’s your Godfather, right?”

“Aye, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser. No’ wha’ about yer time in France?”

Claire took the opportunity to talk about her work in France with the Sisters who worked at L'Hôpital des Anges and teaching some of the children who came through their services English. She went on to explain that she was there for two years between the ages of sixteen and eighteen when her Uncle Lamb appeared to have settled down with a close friend, Raymond.

“Unfortunately,” Claire explained. “Raymond was bitten by a poisonous snake when they were on holiday and died. That’s when Uncle Lamb decided to move back to Oxford.”

“So, why are ye spendin’ yer Christmas here?” Jamie questioned. “An’ no spendin it wi’ yer Uncle?”

“He died two years ago,” Claire explained as she felt a tear fall down her face. “Cancer.”

“I’m sae sorry about tha’,” Jamie said as he wiped the tear from Claire’s face. “I didna mean to upset ye, but please, accept my offer tha’ yer always welcome here in Beauly an’ at Lallybroch.”

“Thank you, Jamie,” Claire smiled gratefully. “I’m not sure how your mum would take to you offering me lodgings at Lallybroch without consulting with her. Especially since you have your own place now.”

“Ach, mam loves ye too, Sassenach,” Jamie smiled, not even noticing his slip of the tongue as he checked the time on his watch. “No, let’s get ye somewhere we can get ye fed. Don’ want ye wastin’ away on me now.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jamie treated Claire to a nice lunch in a busy café on the Main Street of Beauly, the café was licensed to sell alcohol, but Claire opted on a cinnamon flavoured hot chocolate to accompany her roast beef sandwich, while Jamie opted for an Irish coffee with his.

“Where to next, tour guide?” Claire asked as she finished her lunch. “Or do we need to head back to the farm?”

“No, no, we’ve still got time,” Jamie replied as he, too, finished his lunch. “Was thinkin’ of takin’ ye to see the Priory ruins. “There’s a family link to them somewhere down the line. The 3rd Lord of Lovat and ‘is son are buried there. The Lovats were Frasers an’ my da’s descended from them.”

“So, your family are pretty much highland royalty in these parts then?” Claire questioned as she began to pull on her hat and scarf.

“Aye, up until Culloden,” Jamie replied as he followed suit. “The loss at Culloden marked the end of Highland culture. But le’s no dwell on the past. Tis the future tha’s more appealin’.”

Claire smiled at that and she let Jamie go to pay for lunch.

* * *

The Priory ruins weren’t much to look at, but Claire loved them. Having grown up in some of the many ruins and archaeological sites the world had to offer, she loved being able to see the ruins available on her own doorstep, so to speak. The whole time, Jamie was the perfect gentleman, either holding her hand when they were traversing icy ground and providing her with a comforting hand on her lower back the rest of the time.

“So, ye enjoyed yersel’?” Jamie asked as they rounded back to the entrance and Claire nodded with a small smile on her face. “It’s gettin’ late though, an’ mam will be makin’ dinner. She’d kill me if I made ye late.”

“I doubt she’d be that dramatic,” Claire laughed. “But Fergus will be driving everyone mad asking when you’ll be home.”

“An’ you, Sassenach,” Jamie returned. “He’s mad about ye too. Asked me las’ night if ‘e could call ye M’lady, jus’ like ‘e calls me M’lord because ‘e really likes ye.”

“What did you tell him?” Claire questioned, intrigued by the way the young boy was thinking.

“I told ‘im he’d need to ask ye fer ‘imself,” Jamie replied. “But I wouldn’ mind either way because I really like ye too.”

“Really?” Claire asked in surprise. “Are you telling me that you feel this connection too, Jamie?”

“Aye,” Jamie replied, his voice softening. “Ever since tha’ night in the hallway when you had been checkin’ on Fergus. I think yer special Claire, mo nighean donn.”

“Mo nee-an what?” Claire asked in a whisper, loath to break the moment between the two of them.

“Mo nighean donn,” Jamie repeated. “It’s Gàidhlig for my brown-haired lass.”

“I always thought brown was such a dull hair colour,” Claire replied as Jamie began to finger a stray curl escaping from her hat.

“Not your hair, Sorcha,” Jamie replied. “Your hair is full of colour. It’s like the water in the burn when it ruffles down the rocks an’ it’s dark in the wavy spots wi’ wee bits of auburn when the sun touches it.”

“You’ve been paying a lot of attention to me then?” Claire questioned with a coy smile. “And as for Sorcha, what does that mean?”

“It’s yer name in Gàidhlig,” Jamie replied. “Roughly translated, yer name means light, an’ Sorcha is light.”

Claire smiled at Jamie’s explanation. She could really feel a connection between the two of them, nothing like she had felt before. She thought she had been in love before with a young history professor she met during one of Lamb’s times as a guest lecturer at Harvard, but Frank was nothing compared to Jamie. Without realising it, Claire had closed the gap between her and Jamie, so they were sharing the same space.

“I’d really like to kiss ye, Sassenach,” Jamie whispered, and Claire nodded her head in agreement.

The next thing she knew was the warm feeling of Jamie’s lips on hers.


	7. Chapter 7

Claire felt as though she was floating as she walked back to Lallybroch with Jamie. It seemed as though he had orchestrated the whole day as a first date for them. She wasn’t going to argue that it wasn’t because it was. It was the perfect first date for them, and she couldn’t wait to have more time alone with him.

Arriving back at Lallybroch, Jamie noticed there was another of car outside the house. His smile seemed to get even bigger and he turned to Claire as he pulled her to him for a chaste kiss before they headed in.

“Ye’ll get to meet Murtagh,” Jamie said. “He’s my Godfather, ye’ll love him.”

Before Claire could say anything in response to Jamie, the front door to the farmhouse burst open and Fergus came running out. “M’lord! M’ilady!” he exclaimed with excitement. “Murtagh’s here. He brought me a present.”

“An’ I’m sure it will look bonnie under the tree until next week, lad,” Jamie said with a smile as he scooped Fergus up into his arms. “Ye don’ want tae open all yer presents before Christmas dae ye?”

“There’s a present fer the lad to open on Christmas Day,” a rough voice said from the door. “But I got ‘im a wee present fer the noo tae. Yer mam telt me that the lad had been workin’ on ‘is English and was daein’ weel wi’ it.”

“Oui,” Fergus smiled as he reached out for Claire. “M’lady has been teaching me. She’s amie with Jenny.”

“In English, please, Fergus,” Claire reminded the young boy as she accepted him from Jamie’s arms. “I know it’s easier to speak in French, but it will be so much easier when you start school if you are speaking in English.”

Murtagh raised his eyebrow at Jamie as if asking him for an introduction to Claire.

“Claire, this is my Godfather, Murtagh,” Jamie introduced. “Murtagh, this is Claire, she’s Janet’s friend from university. I was showing her about the town because she’s never been to the Highlands before.”

“I’ve been hearing all about you,” Claire said with a smile as she balanced Fergus with one hand and held out the other to shake. “I believe it’s a joint effort between yourself and Brian that we have the house so wonderfully decorated.”

“Aye, lass,” Murtagh returned. “I wish I could say I’ve heard all about ye tae, but all I’ve heard is what this wee rascal has been sayin’ about M’lady. Tae be honest, I thought ‘e was talkin’ about a lass Jamie had brought home, no a friend o’ Jenny’s.”

Claire blushed at that and ducked her head to hide her embarrassment. “I’m going to take Fergus inside, so he doesn’t catch a cold. I’ll see you both later,” Claire said, excusing herself to avoid any awkward questions.

Murtagh just raised his eyebrow at Jamie again and Jamie shook his head as a small smile graced his features. Murtagh knew this look to mean that the lad would talk to him later.

* * *

Jenny and Ian were sitting together in the sitting room when Claire walked in with Fergus, telling him to go and sit by the fire to warm up. Jenny whispered something to Ian, which he appeared to agree to, and made her way over to Claire.

“Ye’ll never guess who was here,” Jenny said as she hooked her arm through Claire’s. “Turns out that Geillis’ ‘older man’ is my uncle Dougal. They dropped in on their way further north wi’ some presents fer the family.”

“Good job I wasn’t here,” Claire muttered as she pulled her jacket off.

“Whit was that, Claire?” Jenny asked as she settled onto her bed. “Did ye say somethin’?”

“I just said it was a good job I wasn’t here then,” Claire repeated. “She probably would have caught onto something before I was able to make the connection myself.”

“Really, Claire?” Jenny questioned. “What d’ye think she would have cottoned on tae before you did?”

“Um,” Claire hesitatingly began, here she was ready to tell Jenny about what just went down between herself and Jamie. But it suddenly dawned on Claire; Jamie is her best friend’s brother, younger brother too, would it be too weird if she told her? And would Jenny lose it?

“C’mon Claire,” Jenny urged. “Ye can tell me. Did somethin’ happen between ye and Jamie when ye were out?”

“What!?” Claire exclaimed in confusion.

“Dinnae fash,” Jenny reassured. “Jamie spoke to me of his attraction to ye the other day. Asked me if I would mind if he asked ye out.”

“And?”

“D’ye think he would have taken ye out today if I had said I minded?” Jenny asked with a sly smile. “The two of ye deserve to be happy, an’ I’d prefer it if ye could be happy wi’ each other. Saves me worryin’ about ye goin’ on dodgy dates, an’ saves me worryin’ about the local witch snaring him.”

“Witch?” Claire questioned.

“Jenny’s jus’ bein’ polite,” a voice said from the hallway, and Willie stuck his head round the door. “The lass is called Laoghaire an’ she’s had her eye on Jamie fer years. I think the word young Janet here was meaning has a different first letter than the one she used.”

“Ah, I see,” Claire said, and she nodded her head in understanding. The two siblings just laughed, and Jenny gave Willie a slap on the arm while telling him to leave them alone.

As Willie left the room, he gave them a mock bow and a tip of an imaginary hat.

“It’s been crazy here the last couple of weeks,” Claire said. “I was an only child, and at that, it was pretty much just me and Uncle Lamb at different dig sites. I’ve never really experienced a full family like this. I’m glad I got you all presents, you all feel like the family I never had.”

“Ye didnae have to dae that,” Jenny said. “Yer presence here is presents enough. An’ I’m glad ye feel that way. Ye make the family that wee bit more complete. More so now wi’ this wee development wi’ Jamie.”

“Thank you, Jenny,” Claire smiled and before she could say any more, a whirling dervish of brown curls came barrelling into the room telling them dinner was ready.


	8. Chapter 8

The following few days leading to Christmas were a blur. Jamie was now on holiday from his work, so he was spending his time between helping with the horses and helping Claire with Fergus’ English. As well as trying to teach Claire some of the Gàidhlig, which was a laugh.

Jamie and Claire had tried to keep their newfound relationship under wraps, but that very same night, after Fergus was put to bed, Ellen caught sight of the looks Jamie and Claire kept exchanging. She called them out and they confessed that they were going to see if they were compatible.

Soon, it was Christmas Eve and Ellen and Jenny were preparing what was needed for dinner the next day, Claire had offered to help but as a guest she had been banished from the kitchen. However, the presence of an excited three-year-old underfoot was making things a tad more difficult than previous years.

“Come awa’ lad,” Jamie said as he scooped Fergus up into his arms. “Yer gettin’ in the way here. Why don’ we go an’ see what Claire’s up to, lad. She’s been banned from the kitchen, so we might be able to get her to do something wi’ us.”

“Oui, yes,” Fergus replied excitedly as he wriggled out of Jamie’s arms to the floor. A combination of being obsessed with Claire and the excitement of Christmas had resulted in him being a nightmare.

Claire was in the sitting room reading when Fergus came bouncing in with Jamie following behind him. One look at Jamie told Claire everything she needed. She mouthed the word “Santa” at Jamie, and he nodded in agreement, so Claire knew they were on the right page.

“What’s got you so excited, Fergus?” Claire asked as she put her book down.

“It’s Christmas,” Fergus replied. “I like Christmas.”

“No, it’s Christmas Eve,” Claire corrected. “Christmas is tomorrow.”

“But Santa,” Fergus said, his worry evident. “Santa comes tonight, non?”

“Aye, Santa comes tonight,” Jamie answered. “But that means that tomorrow is Christmas. An’ ye know ye need tae be in bed afore ‘e comes, don’ ye?”

“Why don’t we go into Inverness and see if Santa is still about,” Claire suggested. “And that way you can ask him what he wants left out for tonight.”

“Can we, M’lord?” Fergus asked as he turned to Jamie. “Can we go and see Santa like M’lady said?”

“Aye lad,” Jamie smiled. “No’ go an’ get yer coat an’ then I’ll put yer boots on ye.”

“So, Santa?” Claire said with a smile.

“Aye, Santa.”

* * *

Claire and Jamie enjoyed spending time with Fergus at the shopping centre. Yes, it was utter chaos, but seeing the joy on the young boy’s face when he saw Santa. They even decided to take Fergus to the cinema in the hope that it would tire him out, after all, they still had midnight mass to go to.

Their plan for Fergus worked and they were able to get some “Fergus free time” back at Lallybroch, which allowed them the chance to wrap the few last-minute presents Jamie had bought.

“Are you in any rush to head to bed after mass later?” Claire asked Jamie as she passed him the wrapped presents to put under the tree. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Nae,” Jamie replied rather nervously. “I know Fergus will want to be up early, but I may need to stay up to make sure ‘e doesn’t get up too early.”

“Thanks,” Claire responded. “I’m going to go up for a nap, Fergus has tired me out too.”

“Use my bed,” Jamie called after Claire. “Don’t want to run the risk of walkin’ in on Janet and Ian.”

Claire nodded and smiled her thanks before making her way to Jamie’s room for a nap to prepare herself for the coming hours.


	9. Chapter 9

Midnight mass at St Mary’s was beautiful. Claire had rarely been to church in years, but she had to admit that the service was wonderful. She really could see herself coming to church with the Frasers in the future. She just hoped that Jamie wouldn’t hate her for what she wanted to talk to him about.

Fergus fell asleep on Claire’s lap in the back of Brian’s car on the way home, so Jamie was glad he had listened to his mother when she said let him go to mass in his pyjamas. Jamie took Fergus from Claire’s arms to allow her to get out of the car. Carrying Fergus up to his bed, Claire followed behind and watched from the bedroom door as Jamie lovingly placed Fergus in bed and tucked him in before kissing him on the forehead.

All of this just made Claire think that her line of thought was about to be proven true.

When Jamie had finished with Fergus, he encouraged Claire to get changed into her own nightwear just in case she fell asleep and he had to carry her to bed too.

“Who’s bed?” Claire asked with a wink as she closed the door to Jenny’s room.

Jamie went off to change too. He had a feeling he would want to be comfortable for this conversation. Upon exiting his room, Jamie found Claire waiting with a pile of presents at her feet and a sheepish look on her face. “I suppose ye wan help carrying this lot downstairs to put under the tree then?”

“If you don’t mind,” Claire said with a shrug.

“When did ye buy all this stuff, Sassenach?” Jamie asked as he lifted some of the presents. “The only time ye’ve been out the house is when ye’ve been wi’ me. An’ I don’ remember ye buyin’ anythin’ that looks like this.”

“I bought everything back in Glasgow,” Claire said as she began placing the presents under the tree. “I didn’t know about Louise or Murtagh, so, I picked up a spa voucher for Louise and a whiskey glass for Murtagh when we were in Inverness earlier for them.”

“Ye didna have tae dae that, Sassenach,” Jamie said as he placed the remaining presents under the tree, glad that his parents had divided the presents into bundles for each person. “No’ wha’ did ye want to talk tae me about?”

“It’s quite a sensitive topic,” Claire began hesitatingly as they settled into the large armchair next to the fire as the room was lit by the dancing lights on the tree. “So, please don’t be offended if I’m entirely wrong in my assumptions.”

“I’m yer servant, Claire,” Jamie said honestly, his hand over his heart. “I’ll try answerin’ yer questions wi’ complete honesty. But I’m no guaranteein’ it.”

“I know,” Claire nodded. “So, I’ll just come out with it. Is Fergus your son?”

The silence in the room was deafening. Jamie was shocked that someone outside the family had made the connection.

“What makes ye say that, Claire?” Jamie asked.

“The way you are with him,” Claire began matter of factly. “The tension between you and your father when he refuses to call him Fergus. And those curls, God, those curls are as wild as the ones you had at that age. Yes, your mum showed me baby pictures.”

Jamie just gave a sigh and shook his head. His mam had been trying to get him to acknowledge this fact since they had brought Fergus back with them following the visit to their cousin Jared.

“Aye,” Jamie said quietly. “Aye, Fergus is mine. Mam an’ da ken, as does Jared. An’ no’ ye ken, bu’ ‘m no’ sure who else kens.”

“Why are you so worried about this?” Claire asked as she stroked Jamie’s face soothingly. “You’re more than capable to be a dad to Fergus. And he adores you, you’re his very own superhero.”

“I bedded a lass out of wedlock,” Jamie said as he lowered his head in his believed shame. “I took what shouldna have been mine to take an’ I ended up wi’ a son whose mam has rejected ‘im.”

“You’re not at fault here, Jamie,” Claire reassured. “Did you love her?”

“Annalise? Aye, she was my first love,” Jamie smiled. “I thought we had something special but turns out she was seein’ a couple of other guys on the side.”

“So, how did Fergus come to live here?”

“Jared called my da a couple of months back,” Jamie began. “Said a social worker had turned up at his door wi’ a young lad and his address. The social worker said the lad’s mam was a young lady called Annalise an’ Jared remembered I had dated an Annalise. So, he took ‘im in an’ called here. I couldna get the time off work, so mam an’ da went over to Paris an’ came back wi’ ‘im.”

“And how did he go from Claudel to Fergus?”

“Ye’d have tae ask Annalise that, if ye can find her,” Jamie explained. “‘Is full name is Claudel Fergus de Marillac, but I’m workin’ on getting’ it officially changed tae Fergus Fraser. Ye’ve seen the face ‘e makes when da ca’s ‘im Claudel?”

“Who hasn’t?” Claire asked with a small laugh. “What about your parents? When Jenny invited me, she said she could do with more female company over the holidays because your parents had somehow ‘acquired another son’, her words exactly.”

“Mam an’ da’ decided to keep up that pretence until things got sorted,” Jamie explained. “Because Annalise abandoned ‘im in the care of Jared, but didnae name me as father on the birth certificate I’m goin’ through legal loopholes to claim ‘im as mine. We’ve got the DNA test off the no’ tae prove ‘m Fergus’ da, an’ then I can officially adopt him.”

“So, your mum and dad are down as Fergus’ legal guardians just now?” Claire asked.

“The social worker said that Jared could name anyone within his immediate family as Fergus’ legal guardian while they searched for either Annalise or found ‘is da’ if he couldn’t care for ‘im,” Jamie explained. “So, Jared said he had an idea who the father may be an’ contacted mam an’ da.”

“So, you’re working with the French authorities to prove you’re Fergus’ dad?”

“Aye,” Jamie smiled. “God, I cannae wait tae tell everyone I’m his da’. I love the lad sae much.”

“He’s easy to love,” Claire smiled. “Just like someone else I know…”

Jamie gave Claire a bright smile at that. They hadn’t said the L word yet to each other, but both knew it was a natural progression for them. There was something special between them, and neither could identify exactly what it was.

“I’d like tae kiss ye again, Sassenach,” Jamie said as he moved closer to Claire.

“On one condition,” Claire said with a coy smile. Jamie signalled for her to ask her question. “Why do you keep calling me Sassenach?”

“A Sassenach is an English person, an outlander, if ye will,” Jamie said. “I mean no offence by it, ‘tis but a term of endearment.”

The only reply Claire gave to that was pressing her lips to Jamie’s. Jamie soon wrapped her up in his arms and they lost themselves in each other.

“Can ye join me in bed tonight, Claire?” Jamie asked when they broke for air. “I jus’ want tae hold ye an’ wake up wi’ ye in the mornin’”

Claire smiled and got up from the arm chair, pulling Jamie along with her and led him to his bedroom.


	10. Chapter 10

Christmas morning dawned and, as to be expected with a three-year-old in the house, everyone was expected to be up at the crack of it along with said three-year-old.

Unfortunately for Jamie and Claire, Fergus had chosen Jamie’s room as his first target to wake.

“It’s Christmas, M’lord,” Fergus said as he jumped onto Jamie’s bed. “And M’lady. I thought you shared with Miss Jenny?”

“C’mon lad,” Jamie said as he pulled Fergus to his lap in the hope of distracting him from that line of thought. “Let’s go an’ see if Santa has been.”

Claire mouthed her thanks as they exited the room. “I’m going to go and see if Jenny is awake.”

“Jus’ be careful, Sassenach,” Jamie warned. “Since ye slept in wi’ me las’ night, Janet may no’ have slept alone.”

Claire nodded as she knocked on Jenny’s door. Upon hearing Jenny’s call of ‘come in’, Claire made her way in and was surprised to see Jenny alone.

“An’ where did ye sleep las’ night?” Jenny questioned with a sly smile gracing her features. “I notice yer bed doesn’t appear to be slept in.”

“Well, I might as well tell you since it looks like Fergus is going to tell everyone anyway,” Claire said. “Jamie and I talked last night, and we kissed again. He then asked me if I would share his bed, just so he could wake up with me in his arms this morning. So, I slept with your brother, but only slept. There was nothing else. What about you? I thought you would have a bed mate last night, too.”

“Ye mean Ian?” Jenny asked and her eyes took on their usual dreamy look when she was talking about Ian. “Although he’s on leave he had to report to the barracks at 5am this morning for some manoeuvres or something, but he’ll be back later. He’s spent every Christmas wi’ us since he was sixteen when his mam an’ da’ died.”

“Well, Fergus is trying to wake the whole house so he can get his presents as soon as possible,” Claire said. “So, I offered to come wake you.”

“We cannae leave the lad hangin’ can we?” Jenny said with a smirk as she got out of bed. “Besides, mam an’ da’ will be up already.”

* * *

Downstairs, Fergus was wolfing down some scrambled eggs and toast, thinking the quicker he ate, the sooner he would be able to open his presents. He knew that he got presents at Christmas, but he had never had as many presents waiting for him under the tree as he had today. He knew his mama loved him, but she wasn’t able to give him lots and that’s why she left him with the funny man in the big house. But the funny man had been nice, he had got in touch with seanag and sean and they had brought him to Lallybroch where he met M’lord. He really liked living here and although he missed his mama, he didn’t want to leave.

“Slow down, a chuilein,” Ellen said as she ruffled Fergus’ hair. “Yer presents will still be there if ye take longer tae eat yer breakfast. Ye dinnae want to wolf it down an’ have a tummyache on Christmas. You won’t be able to eat yer lunch.”

That made Fergus think. He knew that Miss Jenny and seanag had been busy making the big lunch and it did smell yummy. “Ok, seanag. I’ll slow down.”

“That’s my boy,” Brian said as he came into the kitchen and caught the conversation. He exchanged a knowing look with Ellen and sat down at the table to start on his breakfast. “Ye lookin’ forward tae see what Santa brought ye?”

“Aye, sean,” Fergus smiled as he tried to imitate the elder man’s accent. “But seanag doesnae want me getting a tummyache, so I’m eatin my breakfast slowly.”

“Aye, yer presents will still be there whether ye rush yer breakfast or no’, Fergus” Brian said with a hint of tenderness.

Claire looked at Jamie with an air of confusion, she thought Brian was rather indifferent to Fergus, and the fact that he had just called him ‘Fergus’ rather than ‘Claudel’ was rather suspicious.

“If you’ll excuse me a minute,” Claire said without causing suspicion. “I just remembered I need to wish my other flatmate a Happy Christmas before I get caught up in the festivities and forget.”

“Jamie, ye better go message Lard Bucket and Big Heed,” Murtagh said as he joined the table. “The last thing we need the day is them turnin’ up at the door an’ eatin’ everythin’ in sight.”

“Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser!” Ellen exclaimed as Jamie left the table and Fergus muttered an ‘uh oh’. “That’s no way to talk about two of the cousins.”

“Rupert would call it muscle,” Jamie smiled as he, too, got up from the table. “But wee Angus does sport a curiously large head. I’ll go message them the no’ an’ make plans tae see them sometime this week.”

“Well, make sure ye don’ fall ontae Claire’s lips while yer both awa’,” Willie called after him. “I wan’t tae open my presents before midday.”

“Enough o’ that,” Ellen said as she cuffed Willie around the ear. “We cannae open the presents wi’out Ian. He should be back about soon.”

* * *

Jamie found Claire in his room just finishing her phone call. He fired off a text message to his two cousins and joined her on his bed.

“Is it just me or is your dad more open to Fergus this morning?” Claire asked. “He’s joking with him and he even called him ‘Fergus’ this morning.”

“Aye, I was thinkin’ that mysel’,” Jamie agreed. “He’s no’ mentioned anythin’ tae me. If he keeps this up, I may talk to him after dinner.”

“Well, let’s go back downstairs,” Claire said. “Everyone else is here, we’re just waiting on Ian returning from the manoeuvres at the barracks.”

“He’s no’ doin’ manoeuvres, Sassenach,” Jamie smirked. “Aye, Ian’s at the barracks, but he’s there because he left part o’ Janet’s present in his trunk. He’ cannae really gie Janet her Christmas wi’out it tae.”

Claire’s face took on a look of shock and Jamie could see in her eyes that she was asking if he was talking about a small shiny present that Jenny will go mad with when Ian presents her with it. Jamie nodded with a smile and he tried to wink but it turned out to be more like something she couldn’t describe, which made Claire laugh.

“I don’t think he’s going to be too impressed with the socks I got him anymore.”


	11. Chapter 11

When Claire and Jamie re-joined the family, Ian was just coming in the door too.

“Right lad,” Murtagh said as he scooped Fergus into his arms. “Everyone’s here no’, so, why don’ we go see wha’ ye’ve got fer Christmas.”

Fergus began cheering which led to everyone else laughing at the joy of the little boy. Claire was slightly more reserved as she wasn’t expecting much from the day, she never had much of a Christmas growing up as she was always moving from place to place with her uncle Lamb.

“Ye alright Claire?” Ian asked as he noticed her quietness.

“Yeah, it’s just all this is kind of full on, you know?” Claire explained. “Only child who travelled a lot, I didn’t really have a Christmas like this growing up.”

“Aye, I ken wha’ ye mean,” Ian smiled. “Been away the last two Christmases. It’s kind of weird comin’ back. Bu’ ye can always escape the madness later. I ken Jamie wouldna mind...”

“Ian!” Claire exclaimed and she went to join the family in the sitting room, with Ian’s laugh following her.

“Wha was that abou’?” Jamie asked as Claire joined him by the tree with Fergus.

“Ian just reassuring me,” Claire explained. “Everything was just getting on top of me. I’ve never really celebrated Christmas on this scale before.”

“Weel, ye ken where my room is if ye need some time on yer own,” Jamie smiled, and he pressed a brief kiss to Claire’s temple. “But I suppose we better let this monkey start before ‘e bursts.”

“That sounds like a good plan, lad,” Brian said from his place on the armchair.

“Can I give M’lady un Cadeau first?” Fergus asked, still mixing some French in with his English.

“Of course ye can, lad,” Jamie said, shocked that Fergus wanted to give a present first rather than open his. “But ye must remember to use yer English, yer still mixin’ some wee French in there.”

Fergus bounded over to a small pile of oddly wrapped presents which was obvious he had wrapped himself. “Miss Jenny helped me with the presents,” Fergus said as he handed Claire over her present.

“Thank you, Fergus,” Claire smiled as she began to open the present. There was a tartan bag with a carefully wrapped home-made vase in it. The vase looked like it had been painted by Fergus himself.

“It’s for yer flowers,” Fergus explained. “I painted it myself.”

“I love it, Fergus,” Claire said with a smile. “I’m going to put it beside my bed when I go back to Glasgow. We can go to the shop before I leave and get some pretend flowers for it, so I won’t need to water them all the time.”

“Because she’ll prolly forget tae water them,” Jamie stage whispered to Fergus, which caused the boy to laugh.

Soon, everyone was getting in on the unwrapping of presents. Claire was surprised at the gifts everyone had gotten for her as she didn’t expect anything other than their hospitality.

“Yer as good as a Fraser,” Ellen had said as Claire unwrapped a lovely plaid shawl. “So, I thought ye should hae somethin’ tae mark tha’. An’ I bought that afore anythin’ happened between ye and Jamie.”

“Thank you, Ellen,” Claire gushed. “I have to say that you’ve all been very welcoming to me the entire time I’ve been here.”

“An’ so ye should,” Brian piped up. “Nae one should be wi’out a clan, an’ ah think Jenny could sense tha’ when she befriended ye all those months ago.”

“Da!” Jenny exclaimed. “Claire’s been kind enough tae buy all of us presents even though she didnae hae tae. Ye should be kind tae her.”

“Thank ye, Claire,” Brian said, completely ignoring Jenny’s outburst. “’m sure everyone is grateful fer their presents. E’en Jamie wi’ his wee heilan coo. Bu’ Janet’s right, ye didnae need tae buy us all a present. Mibbe the young un an’ Janet, but ye’ve went above an’ beyond wi’ yer presents fer everyone else.”

“Aye, thanks fer the socks,” Ian piped up. “Ye can never hae too many.”

“You’re welcome, Ian,” Claire smiled. “I remember what it was like when I was at the dig sites as a child. I treasured every sock I had.”

“Like Dobby,” Jamie said from next to Claire. “Which is what I’m goin’ tae ca’ this coo. Wha’ made ye choose it?”

“Just as a joke really,” Claire said. “From the picture Jenny showed me of your family, I thought you resembled the highland cows. With your shaggy red hair and broad shoulders.”

That comment set the whole family off into fits of giggles with Willie and Rabbie making mooing sounds. Soon they were joined in by Ian and Fergus.

“Thanks fer that, Sassenach,” Jamie said as he buried his face in Claire’s shoulder. “I’m going to be the laughing stock wi’ these two no’.”

“Right boys,” Ellen said as she surveyed the room and gave Ian a subtle head shake that Claire caught but doubted anyone else did. It looked as though she was telling Ian to hold off on the final part of his present for Jenny. “Now we’ve had the fun of the presents and the hilarity of mocking yer brother, it’s time for a serious present.”

With that, Brian stood from his chair and walked over to Jamie with an envelope in his hand. Jamie automatically stood before his father and although they were of similar heights, Jamie appeared to be smaller than Brian in that very moment. Claire’s hand went to Jamie’s calf and began to stroke in a reassuring manner.

“James,” Brian began, and everyone could sense the tension between them. “I ken I’ve no’ been supportive of ye in recent months, an’ ye and a couple of others ken why. But I wan’ tae tak this moment tae apologise. An’ I wanted tae gie ye this as a means o’ my apology.”

Jamie took the envelope offered by his dad and slowly opened it. The room was so quiet while Jamie read over the letter that was inside, even Fergus was quiet as he sat down on Claire’s lap and hugged the teddy from Claire.

“Is this…?” Jamie asked as he looked from Ellen to Brian with tears in his eyes, and Brian nodded. A huge smile graced Jamie’s face and he crouched down in front of Claire and Fergus, holding his arms open for Fergus. “C’mer a chuilein, I’ve somethin’ tae say tae ye.”

“I sorry,” Fergus said in a quiet voice as he curled in on himself on Claire’s lap and his speech took on a baby-like quality. “I be good. I promise. I sorry.”

“Ye don’ need tae be sorry, a chuilein,” Jamie reassured Fergus and Jamie sat down and took Fergus into his arms. “It’s no’ a bad thing, I promise ye.”

“Yer not sending me away?” Fergus asked quietly.

“Nope,” Jamie smiled. “Because this letter here tells me that ye can stay here wi’ me.”

“Is that…?” Claire questioned and Jamie nodded.

“Yer my son, Fergus,” Jamie said. “I’m yer da’.”


	12. Chapter 12

The silence in the sitting room was deafening when Jamie made his announcement.

“Pull the other one,” Willie said after a few minutes of awkward silence. “When would the golden child even have the chance tae take a lass out, let alone father a bairn.”

“Wheesht,” Murtagh scolded as he slapped Willie around the head. “Let the lad explain ‘imsel’.”

“Are ye really my papa?” Fergus asked as he looked up at Jamie with a look of hope in his eyes. “And that means you won’ send me away?”

“Aye lad,” Jamie reassured as he kissed Fergus’ curls. “This wee bit o’ paper tells us that I’m really yer da’ and that will help us if yer mam ever came knockin’ on the door.”

“Nuh uh,” Fergus said adamantly as he curled into Jamie even more. “I stay with my papa.”

That one sentence, as innocent as it was, brought a huge smile to Jamie’s face. Claire’s smile was tender as she gazed at Jamie and Fergus, as was Ellen and Jenny’s.

“Want tae tell us how ye came tae be a father?” Jenny asked from her perch on the sofa next to Ian. “Save us from jumpin tae any conclusions.”

“It was when I was workin wi’ Jared in Paris,” Jamie began. “I met a lass called Annalise…”

“My mama,” Fergus muttered from Jamie’s lap.

“Aye, turns out I left her pregnant,” Jamie said with an element of shame in his voice. “Tae be fair, I didnae ken she was pregnant until mam telt me she had had a phone call fae Jared.”

“Jared called me to tell me that he had a young ward in his care whose mother claimed belonged tae Jamie,” Ellen continued. “So, Brian and I went over to Paris to discuss Fergus wi’ the French authorities. They said because Fergus had been left in Jared’s care, it was up tae Jared tae decide how tae raise the lad.”

“After some discussions wi’ Jared, it was decided that we would bring Fergus over here,” Brian supplied. “I decided tae seek legal council on the issue and following Ned’s advice sent off a DNA test tae prove Fergus was a Fraser.”

“How long have ye had the results?” Jamie questioned.

“Just over a week,” Brian replied. “I was tryin’ tae figure out the best way tae tell ye, an I though’ Christmas Day would be the best. Though’ it would be the best present fer ye an’ Fergus.”

“Ye called me Fergus, sean,” Fergus said from Jamie’s lap. “Ye’ve never called me Fergus before. It was always Claudel.”

“Weel, lad, yer a Fraser an’ tae be honest, I dinnae think Claudel would really fit in wi’ yer classmates next year.”

With that, Fergus jumped up from Jamie’s lap and wrapped his tiny arms around Brian’s neck now he had sat back down. “Love you, sean,” Fergus whispered into Brian’s ear, which brought tears to Brian’s eyes.

“Love you, too, lad,” Brian said.

“Weel, mo bhràthair,” Willie said with a smirk. “Ye start the day off as a heilan coo, an’ then ye become a da’. Anymore surprises ye want tae spring oan us?”

“Shut it, Willie,” Jenny snapped. “Jamie has been a da’ for the past three year, we’re jus’ findin’ oot the no’. But Fergus is a breath o’ fresh air tae the family. An’ now we ken, if Annalise comes lookin’ fer the lad, she’ll see he’s weel kept.”

“Da?” Fergus suddenly piped up. “Does that mean I’ll live with you now?”

“Ye cannae live there a chuilien,” Ellen said, directing her comment to both father and son. “The flat is tiny an’ who’ll watch Fergus while yer at work?”

“Mam, I’ve bought that flat,” Jamie said petulantly. “If I move back here what’ll I do wi’ it?”

“I’ll take it,” Ian supplied. “I’ll pay rent an’ all. It means when I’m at home I’m no sponging aff Ellen an’ Brian. An’ I’ll no need tae stay in barracks. An’ ye’ll still get rent when I’m overseas.”

“Guys, let the lad breath, will ye,” Murtagh said. “The lad’s just had his day made wi’ findin’ out he’s a da’. Why don’ we just have the day an’ think logistics after the holidays?”

“Oui,” Louise said as she ran her new scarf through her fingers. “I for one would like to go back to bed for a few hours. This is such an ungodly hour.”

Everyone laughed at that and began to disperse from the room as Ellen and Jenny began clearing up the torn wrapping paper and Claire and Fergus began to put everyone’s presents in specific bundles under the tree. Jamie and Willie cornered Ian and dragged him into Brian’s study.

“Whit was that, ye eejit?” Willie said. “Ye were meant tae be proposing tae Jenny.”

“I spoke wi yer mam an’ da before I left this mornin’,” Ian explained. “Tae ask fer their blessin, but I was advised tae hold off on it til the big Hogmanay party. Said they had a bigger surprise that needed tae be given this morn.”

“So ye decided tae hold off on proposin’ on the say so o’ mam an’ da’?” Jamie questioned. “But then start askin’ tae rent my flat. Which ye obviously want tae set up as yers and Janet’s first home together. Ye need tae think right, Ian…”

“I want tae rent yer flat fer the reason I already gave ye, Jamie,” Ian interrupted. “I’m a grown man in my twenties. I need tae ha’e my own space. An’ IF Jenny says aye, then we’ll make it our own.”

“There’s nae ifs about it,” Willie said as he cuffed Ian around the head. “Jenny’s crazy about ye, the only question she’ll have is ‘how soon can ye marry?’”

“Weel, I’m goin’ tae ask her at the Hogmanay party,” Ian said. “So ye need tae keep yer gobs shut until then.”

Jamie and Willie just gave Ian a cheeky salute and all three exited the study, with Jamie and Ian heading back to the sitting room and Willie heading to the kitchen to check on the food for dinner.

“An’ mind,” Willie said with a warning. “Ye don’t tell mam what I’m daein’. She believes that I should hae Christmas off since I seem tae cook the rest o’ the year.”

This time it was Ian leading the salute towards Willie with Jamie joining in.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sitting room, Ellen, Jenny and Claire were sitting enjoying a nice cup of tea while watching Rabbie helping Fergus with his new train set.

“So, it doesnae put ye off then?” Jenny asked Claire and Claire raised her eyebrow in question. “Jamie bein’ the lad’s da?”

“No,” Claire said with a smile. “To be honest, I kind of guessed it and asked him about it last night.”

“So, ye weren’t surprised by Brian’s present to Jamie then?” Ellen asked.

“No,” Claire smiled. “If anything, I was pleased for Jamie. He told me last night that he felt ashamed to have bedded Annalise out of wedlock and leave her with child. Especially since she was seeing others on the side.”

“He was worried about Fergus’ parentage?” Ellen asked and Claire nodded. “He had nothin’ tae fear, jus’ look at the lad. He’s got the Fraser hair, an’ if ye compare some of the family baby photos ye’d see Fergus in them. An’ no’ just Jamie’s photos.”

“Where is everyone?” Jenny suddenly asked. “I know Louise has gone back to bed, but I can only count five o’ us.”

“Yer da’ an’ Murtagh are out in the stables,” Ellen said. “An’ kennin’ Willie he’s prolly nosin’ about in the kitchen. I tell ‘im every year that the Christmas dinner is my work, but he always sneaks some wee ‘improvements’ as ‘e calls them. As for Jamie an’ Ian, it’s a’body’s guess.”

“They might be talking about the flat,” Claire supplied. “Ian seems very eager to have his own place nearby.”

“That must be it,” Ellen said in a way that made Claire think she knew that Ian was probably being grilled about the non-proposal. “But enough of the boys, I have tae thank ye, Claire, for the lovely necklace and the matching cufflinks fer Brian. They’ll be put tae use on Hogmanay, at the party. But ye needn’t have gone to any trouble gettin’ us all presents.”

“It wasn’t any trouble, Ellen,” Claire smiled as she pulled her new shawl around herself. “I’ve never really had a big family celebration at Christmas. Uncle Lamb would try his best, but he would often loose track of the days at the dig sites. I wanted to give everyone a present. As for Murtagh and Louise, I got their presents when Jamie and I took Fergus to see Santa. Jamie’s present was the hardest to find though, I didn’t really know what to get him.”

“But ye an’ Jenny seemed tae ha’e the same idea,” Ellen laughed. “Getting’ each other a set of the song books ye need fer the choir.”

“Weel, Claire cannae guarantee she’ll be able tae attend choir fer the last six weeks,” Jenny explained. “I thought if I get her the books, I can help her practice.”

“Aye, yer nursin’ placements,” Ellen said. “How many do ye have?”

“I’ve nine in total,” Claire smiled. “Three in first year, four in second year and two in third year. Since I’m specialising in learning disabilities, and there are only two universities in Scotland that offer LD nursing, I could request placements all over Scotland. The three-week placement I have just after new year is in the epilepsy centre at Govan, but I don’t know where else I’ll be.”

“Weel, if ye ever want tae ask fer any placements up this way, yer always welcome tae stay here,” Ellen offered. “As I said before, Janet has chosen ye as her sister, so ye’ll always be a part of this family. That plaid around yer shoulders testifies tae that.”

Before Claire could say anything in reply, Jamie and Ian made their way into the room smiling like the troublesome boys they used to be.

“I take it, yer brother is nosin’ in on my cookin’,” Ellen said matter of factly.

“No mam,” Jamie said slightly louder than necessary as he nodded his head in agreement with Ellen’s statement. It was the same routine they went through every Christmas since Willie got his first job as a chef.

“Scoundrel,” Ellen whispered as she shook her head with a bright smile gracing her face.


	13. Chapter 13

Claire and Jamie managed to sneak away before lunch while everyone was occupied with other things. Murtagh was playing with Fergus, Brian was having a snooze, Willie and Ellen were battling it out in the kitchen like they did every year, Rabbie was tackling his model train kit from Claire, Louise was calling her family and Jenny and Ian were out in the stables.

“I can’t believe your dad did it,” Claire said as she lay her head on Jamie’s shoulder. “I thought it was a bit weird earlier when he started calling him Fergus, but I didn’t want to call him out on it.”

“I ken, Sorcha,” Jamie replied, his fingers playing with Claire’s curls. “I had nae idea he had it planned. I was goin’ tae ask him if I could tell Jenny an’ Willie at least about Fergus after the holidays were past.”

“But he beat you to it,” Claire finished. “You know you have another family member as well? Me.”

“What d’ye mean, Sassenach?”

“Your mum has told me that I’m a part of this family forever,” Claire explained. “Jenny has apparently chosen me as her sister, so your mum has accepted me into the family. Told me that there is always a bed here for me. Even if we don’t work out.”

“I don’ think that’s goin’ tae be a problem,” Jamie said with a smirk. “Yer in m’ bones no’, there’s nae way yer getting’ rid o’ me.”

“Well, how would you feel if I requested a placement up here?” Claire asked. “We get asked where we would be willing to go for placement because there’s only two universities in Scotland who offer my course. Originally, I put Glasgow and Lanarkshire as those are the health boards in my immediate area, but we are offered placements up here, too. So, I could speak to my tutor about changing my options.”

“So, ye could spend yer whole summer up here wi’ Fergus an’ me?” Jamie asked hopefully.

“Maybe not this summer,” Claire replied. “You see, I have to undertake a general placement within a hospital, meaning one which does not specifically involve people with learning disabilities. So, I will most likely be in either the Royal Infirmary or the Queen Elizabeth. But that placement is only eight weeks long, and the summer is sixteen weeks long.”

“So, ye can come up here an’ spend yer summer holidays wi’ the family?” Jamie questioned.

“I’ll need to find a new place to stay in Glasgow, too,” Claire added. “I don’t want to be in halls again next year.”

“I’m sure Janet will take ye on as a housemate,” Jamie suggested. “I’ll talk tae her later fer ye.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Claire replied. “She’s already offered, but I’ve said I want to try and find my own place first. Maybe with Mary, she’s a sweet girl.”

“But no’ wi’ yer fiery friend?”

“Geillis? No. I don’t want to run the risk of seeing your Uncle walking about in his underwear,” Claire laughed.

“I still cannae wrap my head aroun’ tha’,” Jamie laughed as he buried his face in Claire’s curls. “I mean, my Aunt Maura has been dead but five years, an’ Geillis is young enough tae be his daughter.”

“She’s already a widower, herself,” Claire supplied. “She married a man old enough to be her dad when she was eighteen and he had a heart attack at her twenty-first birthday party.”

“Hope she doesnae expect loyalty from him,” Jamie continued. “He’s got a reputation of being a ladies’ man. Rumour is he’ actually my cousin Hamish’s da’ rather than my Uncle Colum.”

“Oh, Geil’s no angel on that front, either,” Claire added. “She’s no stranger to flaunting her conquests around the flat.”

“The perfect match then,” Jamie commented.

“Yep, I’d say so,” Claire confirmed with a smile

Jamie smiled back and made a move to kiss Claire, but just before their lips met, the door burst open and the whirling dervish that was Fergus jumped onto the bed with one of his DVDs.

“Seanag says dinner will be a while, Uncle Willie is fussin’,” Fergus explained. “Can we watch this, da’?”

“Sure, lad,” Jamie said as he took the film from Fergus. “You get yersel’ comfy wi’ Claire an’ I’ll put it on the telly.”

“M’lady?” Fergus asked as he sat beside Claire and snuggled into her side. “When da moves in here wi’ me, will you be moving in too?”

“Claire needs tae stay in Glasgow,” Jamie informed Fergus, sensing Claire’s surprise as he joined them on the bed. “She’s studyin’ tae be a nurse and still goes tae school there. Jus’ like Miss, eh, yer Aunt Jenny.”

“But you will still come and visit?” Fergus pressed on with hope shining bright in his eyes.

“Of course I will, Fergus,” Claire promised. “The Frasers are just as much my family as they are yours now. And I’m sure you and your dad will be down to visit me as well.”

“Will we, da’?” Fergus asked, his eyes shining with hope. “I’ve never been to Glasgow before.”

“Only when it willnae interfere wi’ Claire’s studies,” Jamie assured the excited little boy. “We can maybe visit some of the museums with her.”

“That would be wonderful, Fergus,” Claire confirmed. “But your dad is right, I should put my studies first. So, we will wait to decide on when you can come visit. But for the time being, let’s just enjoy spending the time we have with each other before we get called on for dinner.”

Fergus nodded his head and curled into Claire’s side as Jamie pressed play on the DVD remote.


	14. Chapter 14

Brian was sitting in his armchair following another wonderful Christmas dinner prepared by his wife and daughter, with some input from his oldest son, of course. His family were engaged in a number of activities around the room and he could feel his eyes being drawn to his second oldest son and the little boy who was sitting on his lap by the Christmas tree.

His behaviour of late towards both boys could have been considered downright rude and he was desperate to make it up to them. He had denied them the chance to bond as father and son, but by the looks of it they were certainly making up for lost time. Truth be told, Jamie and Fergus were looking more and more like a family, especially with the influence of Claire.

Claire was another surprise he didn’t expect. Yes, Brian knew that Jenny had a friend who would be alone at Christmas, but he didn’t expect her to fit into his family like she had always been there. The way she took on helping Fergus without even being asked was amazing, his English was on par with what was to be expected of a 3-year-old.

“It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Ellen asked as she perched on the arm of the chair. “Jamie will be a wonderful father, because he has learned from the best. Ye didnae hae a thing tae worry about.”

“I ken that m'eudail,” Brian said as he pulled Ellen down onto his lap. “I had every faith in the lad. But I could see his own doubts when he would look at Fergus from time to time.”

“Come on, Brian,” Ellen chided quietly so as to not disturb the rest of the family. “He’s only twenty-one, an’ ye’ve hammered into the boys that they have to bear the responsibility for their actions. As far as I’m aware, fault in this case is the lass an’ no’ Jamie’s. I believe she had been the one to provide the condom, an’ if that’s the case, Jamie believed himself tae be protected.”

“If that’s the case, I bet he’s learned his lesson,” Brian said.

“Aye,” Ellen replied. “Ye ken Claire’s the first lass he’s shown an interest in in years. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson. So, ye dinnae hae tae be so hard on him. Jus’ remember, when all this happened, he was a silly lad o’ seventeen in the first throes of puppy love. I’d bet anythin’ on the lass seein’ Jamie as soft target once she realised who he was.”

“But when she realised that Jamie was just Jared’s nephew, she changed her mind,” Brian continued, everything finally dawning on him. “She realised that she was in no place to raise a son, so left him in the hopes that he would get to us.”

“Exactly, ye big buffoon,” Ellen said with a laugh. “An’ lookin’ at the two, in fact, three of them, could ye deny them the happiness ye gave them this mornin’?”

“I suppose yer right,” Brian conceded.

“Of course I am,” Ellen said with a smug smirk. “I’m the wife.”

* * *

Jamie couldn’t be any happier than he was in this exact moment. He had his son in his arms and the woman he was fast falling in love with was singing a quiet Christmas song. Claire’s voice was so soothing, and it was working wonders on soothing Fergus to sleep. With the hype and excitement of his first family Christmas, Jamie had feared they would never get him to sleep. But, by the end of the song, Fergus was snoring lightly in his arms.

“Yer a miracle worker, Sorcha,” Jamie whispered. “I didnae think we’d get Fergus tae sleep the night, but yer voice must be magic.”

“Doubt it,” Claire whispered back as she lay her head on Jamie’s shoulder. “He’s probably just tired himself out just like his uncle.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow in confusion and Claire motioned over to where Rabbie was sleeping, slumped against the sofa. “I guess we best get these two boys tae their beds then.”

Just then, Jamie let out a yawn and Claire gave a little laugh. “Make that three boys,” she said and pressed a chaste kiss to Jamie’s cheek.

“As long as ye join me,” Jamie replied. “After last night, I don’ think I can sleep wi’out ye again.”

“How will you cope when I’m back at school then?” Claire asked as she made to get up from the floor so she could take Fergus from Jamie.

“Wi’ great difficulty,” Jamie muttered to himself after he handed Fergus over to Claire.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The information in this chapter regarding Christmas and New Year I researched a couple of years ago when I was doing a talk to kids at my church.

The days between Christmas and New Year passed by in a flurry of dusters and cleaning products. Especially in the sitting room where the Frasers still had their coal fire as it produced a lot of soot. Claire even got into the spirit of the cleaning, even though Ellen had told her not to bother since she was a guest.

Claire took it upon herself to help Fergus with tidying his room and putting away his new toys from Christmas. “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ,” she muttered to herself as she struggled to fit all his new clothes into his drawers. “You appear to have too much clothes.”

“What was that, Sassenach?” Jamie said as he stuck his head round the door frame. “Did ye say somethin’?”

“Yes, your son appears to have too much clothes,” Claire joked, and Jamie placed a quick peck to Claire’s lips. “I can’t seem to fit them all in his drawers.”

“Well, why don’ ye and young Fergus go through the clothes then?” Jamie suggested. “An’ we can donate what he doesn’ wan’ or wha’ doesn’ fit to charity. Same wi’ ‘is toys.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Claire smiled. “Now send that boy back in here, he’s been in the bathroom far too long, and you, you can go back to the stables. I’m sure your dad and Murtagh are looking for you.”

Jamie just smiled and headed out the room to find his wayward son. He found Fergus in the bathroom, playing with his new bath toys Willie had gotten him for Christmas. “There ye’ are, m’lad,” Jamie said to Fergus as he grabbed the towel from the rail to dry Fergus up. “Why don’t ye go back and help Claire go through yer old clothes an’ ye can make room fer yer new clothes. Ye can tell Claire wha’ doesnae fit ye anymore an’ wha’ ye’ve nae worn in a while.”

“Oui, da’,” Fergus smiled and ran off back to his room before Jamie could chastise his mixed languages.

* * *

At dinner that night, Fergus was buzzing to tell everyone about what he got up to while cleaning that day. “M’lady ‘elped me to sort my clothes,” he said. “An’ we’re going to give them to charité. An’ my old toys.”

“That’s good,” Ellen smiled at the boy. “It’s always good to go into the New Year with a fresh start. An’ jus’ think of all the fun some children will have wi’ the toys ye don’ play wi’ anymore.”

“It was always hard tryin’ tae get yer da’ tae part wi’ any o’ his toys,” Willie decided to pipe in with as he placed the casserole dish in the middle of the table. “So, it’s good tae see ye’ havenae inherited tha’ streak fae him.”

“It was da’s idea,” Fergus supplied with a smug smile as he turned to hug Jamie.

“Right,” Brian said before any arguments could break out. “We’re comin’ up on the New Year, so I dinnae want any arguments under my roof. Besides, dinner will get cold if ye get intae a rammy.”

That made the table laugh and they soon settled down to eat. Claire was becoming more accustomed to how things were done in the Fraser household; Grace was said before every meal, and whatever Brian said was the golden rule.

“So, what does New Year fully entail?” Claire asked as dinner was finished. “I’ve never really celebrated it. And this is the first time I’ve been able to concentrate on the customs surrounding it.”

“Well, in years gone by, New Year was a bigger celebration than Christmas,” Jenny began. “Christmas wasn’t even a public holiday, while New Year and the 2nd of January are public holidays in Scotland.”

“Aye, but tha’ was durin’ the reformation,” Murtagh piped up. “The Protestant Church considered Christmas as a Catholic feast, an’ banned those in the Protestant faith from celebratin’ Christmas. Mind ye’ wi’ the excesses o’ Hogmanay, the church soon frowned on New Year as weel.”

“An’ then ye’ve got yer First Footer,” Jenny piped up.

“But ye dinae wan’ it tae be yer man there,” Willie interrupted as he pointed at Jamie. “Nor young Janet, Louise or mam.”

“Aye, they’re all unlucky, as are ye, Willie,” Rabbie continued. “Yer best bet fer a First Footer wid be da or Murtagh.”

“Hold yer horses, wid ye,” Ellen scolded. “It wid probably help Claire if she knew wha’ a First Footer was. A First Footer is simply the first person to cross the threshold to your house after the bells have rung out midnight. Traditionally they would bring gifts like coal, shortbread, salt, black bun an’ whisky, all of which are believed to ensure a house is safe an’ warm, as weel as makin’ sure the house has enough food for the coming year.”

“It’s also believed tha’ the First Footer should be a tall dark male,” Jamie continued. “An’ women, or a’body wi’ falt ruadh were particularly bad luck.”

“Falt ruadh?” Claire asked, her attempt at the Gàidhlig quite good.

“Red hair,” Rabbie supplied. “So, mam would be particularly unlucky. Ye also dinnae wan’ a man or woman o’ the clergy First Footin’ ye either. They’re believed tae be unlucky. I wonder what colour Father Bain’s hair used tae be…?”

“Hush, Rabbie,” Brian scolded. “Also, Beauly has a big bonfire that gets lit on Hogmanay. That’s where I’ve been sendin’ Jamie an’ Ian the past couple o’ days, tae help wi’ the buildin’ o’ the bonfire.”

“That all sounds very inviting,” Claire smiled. “I’m glad you invited me to spend the holidays with the family now.”

“Did you bring any party clothes with you?” Louise suddenly asked as an idea hit her.

“No, the smartest clothes I brought were the ones I wore on Christmas,” Claire explained. “Why’d you ask, Louise?”

“The party at the bonfire,” Louise explained. “You will need something warm, but smart to wear.”

“We can go tomorrow,” Jenny piped up. “An’ we can drop off Fergus’ things to the local charity shop.”

“That sounds like a plan for ye girls,” Ellen smiled. “Will ye be takin’ Fergus with you?”

“Of course,” Claire replied before Jenny or Louise could reply. “We can show him what happens at charity shops as well.”

“That’s good,” Willie said. “Let’s mam an’ I focus on the food for the festivities. I’ve got a big clootie dumplin’ tae make.”

“No’ lad,” Brian said with an air of authority about him. “Yer mam makes the clootie fer the New Year. Ye stay away from it.”

“Brian,” Ellen resolved. “I’m still makin’ the one fer the house, Willie is makin’ the one for the village…”

Claire and Jamie both turned to Fergus as Brian and Ellen began discussing the plans for the coming festivities, only to find the young boy was almost falling asleep in his empty plate. Jamie smiled at Claire before lifting Fergus into his arms and carried him to his own room.

“I’ll bath him in the morning,” Claire said as she pulled a pair of pyjamas out of the newly organised drawers. “Let’s just let him sleep. He’s been working hard the past couple of days, not to mention this will be his first New Year with his new family.”

“Aye,” Jamie smiled. “Plus, this will give us some time alone before he, inevitably, finds his way into our bed.”

Claire just smiled at Jamie as she processed what he had just said, she thought it sounded so natural that Jamie never even realised what he said.


	16. Chapter 16

Claire woke first on the morning of the Hogmanay celebrations, she loved the feeling of waking up in Jamie’s arms and didn’t know how she would cope when she had to go back to Glasgow in a couple of days. The feeling of Jamie stirring behind her, made Claire smile, so she turned around in his arms to burrow her head further into his chest. There were lots still to be done this morning, but she wanted to hide away from the outside world for just that little bit longer.

“Mornin’ Sassenach,” Jamie murmured as he pressed his lips to Claire’s. “I’m surprised there is still only the two of us in bed.”

“Hush,” Claire jokingly scolded. “I can hear footsteps outside the door, so I think Fergus is just a late riser this morning. He has been working quite hard the past few days, and the high he got off of donating his toys was almost unbearable last night.”

“Did ye get somethin’ nice tae wear tonight?” Jamie asked, suddenly remembering the ladies’ shopping trip yesterday. “Do I get a sneak preview?”

“No, you do not, James Fraser,” Claire scolded, just as the bedroom door opened and Fergus found his way onto the bed to snuggle between Claire and Jamie. “I had Jenny as my stylist, so you can trust I have a suitable outfit to match you, and Fergus, in your kilts.”

“Fergus has a kilt?” Jamie asked as he began to stroke Fergus’ curls. “Another gift from Janet?”

“No, M’lady,” Fergus corrected around his thumb, which was currently located in his mouth, and Jamie’s eyes snapped to Claire’s.

“Sorcha?” Jamie questioned. “You bought him a kilt?”

“I noticed while we were sorting through his clothes, he needed a kilt,” Claire explained as if it was common knowledge. “So, while we were out, I had Jenny help me get him one. He looks so handsome in it and will match his daddy perfectly.”

“Well, I can’t wait for tonight,” Jamie smiled. “But as much as I would like to stay here until tonight, I’m needed to help out with the horses. Ian has asked da’ if he can take Janet tae Loch nam Bonnach this morning.”

“Ooh,” Claire taunted as she pushed at Jamie’s shoulder. “Getting yourself another brother soon, are you? Off you go, I’m going to hang off and let this rascal sleep a bit more as he appears to have dozed off again.”

“Alrigh’, Sassenach,” Jamie smiled, and he pressed soft kisses to Fergus’ forehead and Claire’s lips. “I’ll set an alarm for 9 for the two of ye, get some more sleep. I’ll let mam know.”

Claire just gave Jamie a soft smile at his gesture and snuggled back in with the little boy who she was sure occupied about half of her heart by now. And she was pretty sure his dad occupied the rest of her heart.

* * *

When the alarm went off at 9, Claire woke, but Fergus did not. So, she decided to go and run him a bath while he was still sleeping and nip downstairs to get herself some coffee.

“Ah, mornin’, Claire,” Ellen said as she mixed some wonderfully smelling ingredients together. “Did ye’ sleep weel?”

“Morning Ellen,” Claire returned as she located the coffee pot that Ellen had placed on the stove top to keep warm. “Yes, thank you. To be honest, I think I’m going to struggle when I go back to Glasgow. Not sleeping in Jamie’s arms.”

“Weel, ye’ have weekends an’ when yer classes resume yer always welcome tae visit on long weekends,” Ellen reassured Claire. “But I dinnae think yer goin’ tae be the only one struggling. I can see Jamie an’ Fergus spending a lot of nights in the same bed when ye go back tae school.”

“Thank you, Ellen,” Claire said as she hugged her new mother figure, careful not to get the baking mix on her clothes. “Now, I’ve run Fergus’ bath, I just need to go and get him up and ready for the day.”

“Mind just put him in jeans an’ a jumper,” Ellen said as Claire passed through the kitchen door. “Ye can change him intae his kilt around 4. If Fergus is anything like Jamie at that age, ye’ willnae want him in his kilt too early.”

“I was just going to put him in another pair of pyjamas,” Claire smiled. “We’re just going to have a lazy day, maybe watching DVDs or painting, so he wasn’t getting under anyone’s feet.”

“Beauty and brains,” Ellen smiled. “Jamie has really picked a goodun wi’ ye. Now go an’ get the lad up before the bath water goes cold.”

It was easier to get Fergus up and, in the bath, than Claire thought it would be. She sat and sang to him while he played with his toys for a little while. She then decided to wash him before the water cooled too much.

“Right, young man,” Claire said when she was sure all the soap was out his hair. “Let’s get you dried and into some fresh pyjamas. It’s too early to get into your kilt. We can play with your toys or we can watch some films.”

“Can you read me a story, please?” Fergus asked as Claire wrapped him up in his towel. “I like when you read to me.”

“Of course,” Claire smiled, which gave her an idea. She would use her phone to record her reading the stories and then pass them onto Jamie for when she was back in Glasgow. “But we’ll go downstairs first and see what we can get for breakfast.”

* * *

After breakfast, Claire and Fergus retreated to Jamie’s room and Fergus gathered some of his favourite stories before curling up in Claire’s lap. Claire just smiled at Fergus as she went about readying her phone to record some of the Mr Men books for the little boy.

Ellen popped up with some lunch for them, which Claire was grateful for, as her throat was becoming dry with all her reading. Ellen noticed the pile of books when she sat the tray of sandwiches and shortbread down.

“Ye’ been reading some books this mornin’ then?” Ellen asked.

“Yeah,” Claire smiled. “I asked Fergus to pick a selection of books, then I decided that I’d record myself reading them. I’ll pass them on to Jamie for the nights when all Fergus wants is my voice.”

“Ye’ve really fallen for my boys, haven’t ye’?” Ellen asked as she took Claire’s hand in hers.

“I used to feel so lonely,” Claire whispered, not wanting Fergus to hear this part of the conversation and become upset. “Then I met Jenny, and I didn’t feel as alone, but there was still some loneliness. When she invited me for Christmas, I didn’t know what to expect, but I went out and bought some little gifts that somehow I knew would be just right. But nothing really made sense. Then I met everyone…”

“Ye’ were made tae be a part o’ this family,” Ellen smiled. “Ye were made tae meet Jamie an’ bring father and son and grandson together. So, as part of this family, ye’ll never feel alone…”

Before Ellen could continue, the door downstairs slammed open and Jenny’s excited yells for anyone could be heard, which automatically brought a smile to both Ellen and Claire’s faces. They knew what Ian’s intentions were when he took Jenny out today, so, they were excited to see the ring.

“We’re up in Jamie’s room,” Ellen called in response to her daughter.

“Mam, mam, I’m getting’ marrit,” Jenny almost yelled as she came into the room. “Ian’s asked me to marry him, an’ I said aye.”

“Ye’d be daft no’ tae,” Ellen jokingly replied as she took her daughter’s hand to admire the engagement ring. “That man is gaga for ye’, an’ has been fer years. Congratulations, my girl.”

“Thanks, mam,” Jenny said as she threw her arms around her mum in joy. “Look Claire.”

“Oh, it’s gorgeous, Jenny,” Claire said as she held Jenny’s hand to steady it, ensuring she got a good view of the ring. “You are one lucky girl.”

“I’m going to go down and check on my clootie dumplin’,” Ellen said. “Just give me a shout if ye want me tae look efter Fergus fer ye’, Claire.”

“Thank you for lunch, Ellen,” Claire said, tearing her eyes away from the ring for a second. “We should be good with Fergus. We’re just about to put a film on, so everything should be fine.”

“An’ give us a shout if ye need a hand wi’ anythin’ mam,” Jenny returned. “Just because Claire an’ I are goin’ tae talk about my ring, doesnae mean ye cannae shout on us.”

Ellen nodded her head and took the tray downstairs, leaving the plates for Claire and Fergus, Ellen went back down to continue with her baking, leaving Claire and Jenny to gush about the morning’s events.

“First thing’s first,” Jenny said once Claire had put Toy Story on for Fergus to watch. “As my only sister, will ye’ be my maid of honour?”

“Of course,” Claire gushed immediately. “I’d love to be your maid of honour…”

* * *

The afternoon wore on, and soon it was time to start getting ready. Ellen had volunteered to get Fergus dressed since Claire and Jenny had lost track of time talking and were running short on time to get themselves ready. Claire’s outfit was reasonably simple, but she needed the time to try and focus on her hair. Jenny and Louise managed to fashion Claire’s hair into an acceptable messy bun, while Claire applied some light, natural makeup.

“Jamie is going to love you in this,” Jenny smiled as she arranged Claire’s tartan sash correctly, then her own. “A little black dress is always a good idea for a Ceilidh, but the way yers clings in all the right places and paired with our Tartan, I don’ know if Jamie will be able tae keep his hands tae himself.”

“Oiu,” Louise agreed. “I have seen how he is with you at the best of times. But we will have to make sure we get a photo of the three of you tonight.”

“Aye,” Jenny agreed. “Yer first Hogmanay as a wee family. An’ Fergus is going to be so adorable in his wee kilt.”

Before Claire could answer them, there was a knock on Jenny’s door. “Will ye three witches hurry up, we’ll be late, an’ we cannae hae that, da’s lighting the bonfire.”

“William Simon Murtagh MacKenzie Fraser, ye little…” Jenny yelled as she chased her brother away from her door, followed by Claire and Louise’s laughter.

Claire and Louise grabbed their bags, and Claire also grabbed Jenny’s before heading downstairs. Claire was knocked breathless when she saw Jamie and Fergus standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting on her. They were in matching black Jacobite shirts (as Jenny had explained when Claire bought it) and their own Fraser tartan kilts. The three of them truly were matching, like a little family tonight.

Suddenly, Jamie’s eyes were drawn to Claire on the stairs, almost as if he had a sixth sense that was attuned to only her, and his jaw dropped open. “Claire,” he whispered almost reverently, and moved to the bottom of the stairs and held his hand out to her. “Ye’ are truly a beauty to behold, Sassenach.”

“Thank you, Jamie,” Claire replied as she ducked her head to try and hide the blush adorning her cheeks. “And you and Fergus are truly perfect gentlemen, waiting on your lady at the bottom of the stairs to escort her to the party.”

“You look pretty, M’lady,” Fergus said with an awestruck look on his face.

“Thank you, Fergus,” Claire said as she scooped him into her arms. “And you look so grown up in your kilt.”

“Right everyone,” Brian’s voice called out. “Let’s get going.”

“Let me get a picture of Jamie, Claire an’ wee Fergus first,” Ellen said as she came bustling into the hallway with her camera. Brian just shook his head and watched as his wife fussed about their son and his apparent new family, getting them into position and making sure she was taking the perfect photo.

Once the photo was taken, everyone piled out to the cars and headed off to the town hall to begin the festivities to bring in the new year.

* * *

The party was going well, the weather had stayed dry, so the bonfire was a success, and soon the band made the announcement that it was ten minutes to midnight. Claire and Jamie had been dancing away on the dancefloor while Fergus had been napping under the watchful eyes of Ellen and Brian.

“’M goin’ to get Fergus,” Jamie said as the 10-minute warning was given. “I want tae ring in the Bells wi’ ye’ an’ Fergus in my arms.”

“Okay,” Claire said with an encouraging smile, letting Jamie know that was exactly what she wanted too.

Jamie soon returned with a groggy little boy in his arms, but as soon as they reached Claire, Fergus appeared to be more awake. Almost as if Claire’s presence was a tonic to his sleepiness.

“It’s almost time to shout happy new year,” Claire said to Fergus, and Fergus reached out to Claire. Jamie handed him over to her and wrapped both of them in his large arms and began to sway back and forth with them while they waited on the countdown to begin.

“10…” the band leader began, and everyone joined in. “9...8...7...6…5...4...3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

“Happy new year,” Jamie said as he pressed his lips to Claire’s and pulled her and Fergus in closer to him. “Happy new year, Fergus.

“Happy new year, Jamie,” Claire said as she pulled away from Jamie’s kiss. “Happy new year, Fergus.”

“Happy new year, da’,” Fergus said as a wide smile split his face in two, turning from Jamie to Claire. “Happy new year, mam!”


End file.
